Top stars Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer are still not in Madrid yet and with the tournament singles first round set to begin Sunday, Spanish press is wondering if the two former champions will make the event.

According to Marca, Djokovic is expected to visit his doctor tomorrow in Monaco to determine if his ailing right wrist is ready for action. Apparently, the Serb hasn’t been able to practice since injuring the wrist in Monte Carlo.

Federer is expected to arrive on Monday, but that’s if wife Mirka, who is in her eighth month of pregnancy, is in good health.

Rafael Nadal, Andy Murray and Stanislas Wawrinka are already in the Spanish capital. Nadal will play on Wednesday.

I read on another site that Novak hadn’t been able to practice yet because of the wrist. Do any of his loyal fans on TX know if this is true? I think it’s weird that he hasn’t arrived in Madrid as of yet. However, you can read any and everything on these sites…….some things true and some things not!

Okiegal – Babies are the best trophies of what? Any fool can impregnate or get pregnant; it takes no great skill. Of course babies are more IMPORTANT than sports trophies (though a world with shrinking resources could do with a lot fewer babies) but their birth is a desirable event only if they are wanted and will be well treated, as of course Fed’s will be.

I wonder, by the way, if Roger will actually be present at the birth. Thank goodness that fashion (and it is a fashion) had not arrived at the time my son was born. No way could I ever watch a birth, even on a TV screen.

Hippy Chic, the two players in question may be busily preparing, but are they doing so at the same altitude? It makes a difference, we have often been told.

A great night of sex?? Tee hee…….and duh they could possibly grow up to be an awesome tennis player!
Thank goodness Roger Federer’ s mom was willing to be impregnated by his “foolish” father……

Colin, you obviously are a big wuss…..not able to watch a birth?? LOL. Yeah, my hubby didn’t either…..but wasn’t fashionable to do so at the time. Yes,
Roger’s children will be treated wonderfully and so will Novak’s……..If Mirika goes into labor at the time of a scheduled match…..Well it will be interesting to see what they would choose to do. She is his biggest supporter……She might insist that he play. It would be a catch 22 situation….
Do I make 2 million tennis fans upset or all the mother’s of the world…..LOL Should that scenario happen, I’m sure the decision they make will be what’s best for them…….not a real worry, actually…..there are more tournaments!

Okiegal – good point; I never thought of that possibility. On the whole, I think it would be best if he stayed home (whether or not he was going to be present), on account of the twins. In the terrible event of something happening to their mother, they might not understand why Daddy chose to be elsewhere.

Wait until Andy’s in the same situation (assuming he marries before he retires). Knowing how twitchy he is about every twinge in his own body, imagine what he’d be like if Kim were – as people used to phrase it – in an interesting condition!

@Colin
From what I’ve read about Andy, marriage and kids will wait till after he retires.
He was asked about his marriage plans by some female journo and his tart response was something along the lines of, “Why would I tell you, when we’ve only just met?”
*wub*

Hippy chick – way more than 2 million. He has 10 million on face book alone!

When reading Novak’s draw – it is a very wise decision that he rest his wrist.

SI.com:

Djokovic has a tougher draw than Nadal: To reclaim the No. 1 ranking, Djokovic needs to win the tournament and have Nadal lose before the quarterfinals. That’s a tall order in both respects, given their respective draws. Djokovic got the tougher half, drawing Monte Carlo Masters champion and 2013 Madrid finalist Stanislas Wawrinka as a potential semifinal opponent. The Serb, who is coming back from a wrist injury, also faces early tests in a section packed with Marin Cilic, Fabio Fognini, Ernests Gulbis and Alexandr Dolgopolov, while David Ferrer potentially looms in the quarterfinals. Djokovic’s tougher early rounds could open things up for Wawrinka to make another run to the final. His aggressive mindset and easy power are built for Madrid success.

As for Nadal, the top seeds in his half are Federer (who is 2-13 on clay against the Spaniard), Tomas Berdych and Andy Murray. Grigor Dimitrov is also lurking; he’s projected to play Berdych in the third round, with the winner likely facing Nadal in the quarterfinals. Whether it’s Dimitrov or Berdych, that match for Nadal would be must-watch.

Federer vs. Nadal?: Federer vs. Nadal XXXIV could happen in the semifinals. Because Nadal is struggling with his confidence, this might be Federer’s best chance to beat his longtime rival on clay since doing so in Madrid in 2009. Madrid’s quick conditions have always suited Federer, and as his run to the Monte Carlo final showed, he possesses enough belief in his body and game to play aggressively.

Andy Murray’s nightmare draw: Look, Murray wouldn’t win the title regardless of the draw, but his chance of earning a good chunk of points over the next few weeks took a hit in Madrid when he was put in Nadal’s half and Federer’s quarter. His first non-Davis Cup match on clay this year could be against Nicolas Almagro, who upset Nadal at the Barcelona Open last week, and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga potentially awaits in the third round. Murray might want to book his Rome hotels a few days earlier than expected.

It was me and not Chic who posted the 2 million Novak fans. I could have googled it and got the correct count, but it really doesn’t matter because there are still more mothers in the world than Novak fans. Novak needs to take the time he needs to heal that wrist. Maybe he can kill two birds with one stone……while he is rehabbing the wrist maybe the baby will be born during that time.

Madrid, Rome, and Paris are short flights away from Switzerland. I’m sure Fed can play his tournaments with a plan to leave right away as soon as word comes from Mirka. He probably has NetJets on speed dial so a quick getaway shouldn’t be a problem (Paris traffic on the other hand…)